Pages

Monday, August 13, 2012

Interview with Katherine Grey

Today I've very happy to have Katherine Grey on my blog. She's such a sweetheart, and I really enjoy her writing. Also, today is a very special day because it is Impetuous' one year anniversary. Happy Book Birthday!! ***As a special treat she is celebrating by offering one lucky commenter a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to comment with your email for a chance to win.***

So I'll start by asking if you could tell the readers a bit about yourself, Katherine?

I grew up surrounded by books and love to read. I started writing when I found myself reworking in my mind the storylines of some of books I read. Let me say, a lot of the Nancy Drew books had completely different endings. As I grew older, I started writing short stories and such, but didn’t really pursue writing as a career until a few years ago. On a personal note, I live in upstate NY with my family. I’m 5’10” and have 5 tattoos. That surprises a lot of people. I’m told I’m not the type to have tattoos. I haven’t decided if that’s a compliment yet or not. LOL.

Ha, I can understand that. Many people have no clue I have the amount of tattoos that I do, nor would they have guessed I had any. It's interesting what lurks beneath some people's clothing. :) So how long have you been writing? And what inspires you to write?

It seems like I’ve been writing forever, though I did take a nearly 10 year hiatus from it due to other life demands. What inspires me to write…that’s a hard question to answer. The first thing that comes to mind is everything, but what first inspired me to write was wanting to create a book that touched others the way some books have touched me over the years.

Now that is an excellent answer, in my opinion. Out of genuine curiosity, how was your road to publication? Anything you would have changed or done differently? Do you have any tips you can offer to new writers?

My road to publication was long. There was that 10 year hiatus, which I don’t recommend. But once I settled down and got serious about pursuing publication, it was only about a year before I was offered a contract from The Wild Rose Press. One thing I would have done differently is I wouldn’t have stopped writing for so long. I sometimes feel like I wasted a lot of time.

The best tip I can offer new writers is to write. Write every day if you can, even if it’s just one page a day. Writing only when you feel like it or when life allows you to will lead to a very long road to publication, if at all. I read somewhere that Stephen King says you should write every day so you don’t lose interest in your characters, because if you lose interest, your readers surely will too. (I’m paraphrasing here.) If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. I can’t tell you the number of unfinished manuscripts I have from years ago when I wasn’t writing consistently that I never finished because so much time went by without me working on them that I lost the thread of the story.

That's a nice piece of advice. I can see where you wouldn't finish a manuscript if you lost interest in your characters. Perhaps you might could read through your old stories again and see if any really catch your interest again. What made you choose to write Historical Romance in particular?

When I first started reading romance, it was historical romance. The big sweeping sagas they published years ago. I also am fascinated with the Napoleonic wars and that era. I have a bunch of books on the subject that I purchased long before I decided to write for publication. I guess you could say I went with the adage – Write what you know.

What sort of research did you do for your time period and characters? I thought it was interesting you chose a Spanish hero for Impetuous.

I knew a lot about the war Napoleon waged on Spain but not a lot about the Regency era in London so I did a lot of research on the Regency era and the proper terms of address for the nobility. I also had a lot of help with the Spanish terms used in Impetuous because I don’t know the language. While a Spanish hero isn’t common, I couldn’t write Mateo as anything else. He came to me first before anything else about the story. He kept talking to me, telling me his back story, why he’d come to London, etc.

Hey, if your characters are talking to you, then I suppose you should listen. :) Is there a favorite scene of yours from Impetuous that you could share with us? And why is it your favorite scene?

My favorite scene is in the Teresa’s greenhouse when Mateo reads Don Quixote to Teresa while they are sitting together on the bench. When he realizes she’s fallen asleep, he stays there, wondering if he’s found peace with her after so many years of hardship. I think it’s my favorite because it’s when Mateo realizes Teresa has become so much more than a means of revenge.

I'll have to agree with you there. That was a very endearing scene to me because we see how much of a good guy Mateo really is. So I have to ask, will I ever read a story for the notorious Lazarus? :) I’ve actually heard you are working on a contemporary. Is that true? If so, can you tell us a little about your works in progress?

I’ve just finished working on the edits requested by my editor for Lazarus’ story. His story is called An Unexpected Gift, and I hope it will be released early next year. No official release date yet though.

I am working on a contemporary. It actually has a touch of paranormal to it as well. It revolves around a former navel officer who is roped into acting as a body guard to protect the daughter of the Secretary of State. I’m also working on a contemporary novella about a woman running from her past, and the man who convinces her life is meant to be lived and not hidden from.

I'll be sure to check those out. But, I have to say I'm excited about Lazarus' story. He seemed to really hit home with me when I read The Muse. I instantly wanted to know more about him. Alright, I like to ask this question of all authors, just because I’m nosy. Finally, I'll admit it. What was the first thing you did when you found out you were going to be published?

I told my mom. Then I told my closest friend who surprised me a couple of days later with a cake that had a picture of the cover of Impetuous on it.

How exciting. That must have been exciting to see your cover on top of your cake. Now, are there any authors or books that have influenced you or your writing?

There are so many books and authors that I don’t think I could name them all. I do have to say that it was after I read, “Whitney, My Love” by Judith McNaught that I knew I wanted to write for publication.

Right, so now we’ve come to the hypothetical portion of this interview. If you suddenly woke up tomorrow as an impoverished, titled lady with the single-minded goal of landing a rich husband, what would be your plan of action to snare a gent?

I’d probably end up as one of the wall flowers that no one seems to notice. I’m terribly shy until I get to know a person, so I can’t imagine I’d be able to put a plan of action in place. I’m even worse when it comes to crowds, so I’d probably be hyperventilating in a corner somewhere during a ball or at Almack’s, which I’m sure would send every eligible gentleman running in the opposite direction. :o)

Well you know, the wallflower-types tend to attract a lot of fellows in romance. :) If you were whisked back to Regency England, what sort of character do you believe you would most likely be? (Personally, I’d like to be a “rich as Croesus” eccentric, old Duchess no one would dare snub because I’d ruin them. Ha!)

I’d love to think I’d either be a rich widow so that I could pretty much run my own life or that I’d be happily married to the man of my dreams. But I’d really probably be the upstairs maid who has the wonderful duty of emptying the chamber pot. LOL

Ha, yeah me too, most likely. :) I want to thank you so much for stopping in today, Katherine. I wish you lots of luck with all your books, published and those to come. I really enjoyed what I've read so far and will continue to read them as long as you release them. You're always welcome back here anytime you like.

Blurb: Mateo de Montayas, an impoverished Spanish count, comes to England to
recover a stolen family heirloom and to satisfy his hunger for revenge
against the man who destroyed his family. Arriving in London, he learns
his hated enemy died three years before but has left behind a daughter.
What better way to retrieve the heirloom and exact revenge than to use
her to his advantage?

Teresa Darlington will do anything to keep
scandal away from her frail mother and prove her father wasn't a thief,
even risk her reputation in a race to find the missing heirloom before
the Count does. But she didn't count on falling in love with the man
determined to ruin her family. Can she find the heirloom before he does
and protect her family, or will her heart lead her in a different
direction?

Review: If you guys haven’t figured it out by now, I love historical romance. So, I was tickled to win a copy of The Muse, which is a novella following this book. After I read it, I knew I had to get my hands on Impetuous.

I really loved the heroine, Teresa. She has every bit as much honor as the Spanish hero, Mateo, as she attempts to protect her family from any scandal. The author infused her with such humane characteristics, which made her all the more relatable to the reader. You are warmed by her caring nature, you root for her during her adventures, and you shed tears over her trials and heartbreak. Well, I did at any rate.

The hero, Mateo, is on a mission to restore his family to respectability in Spain. I could sympathize with his plight throughout the story. Even with his ulterior motives, he treated the heroine with nothing but honor and respect. I really liked that he didn’t take advantage of Terera’s naivety when he had more than the opportunity to do so. Don’t get me wrong, toward the end, a swift kick the groin was in order, but he completely redeemed his momentary lapse in judgment, in my opinion. Apparently, like some men in real life, Regency heroes can experience moments of temporary stupidity as well.

Nonetheless, I found this a charming read that captured my attention from the very beginning. I enjoyed watching the hero and heroine’s love grow throughout the story. And I’m certain I had a silly smile on my face when they finally found their happily ever after together. If you are looking for a sweet, lighthearted Regency, this is the story for you.

Blurb: Noted poet Blaine Hobson counts the Prince Regent among his patrons. But
ever since the socialite he wished to marry took her life, he has been
unable to compose a single line of poetry. With a sonnet commissioned by
the Regent due in a few weeks, Blaine spends his time alternating
between trying to write ... and wishing he had the courage to join his
beloved in the grave.

Raised in an orphanage with her sister,
seamstress Emma Tompkins lives with the guilt of her sibling's death.
Accidently finding a suicide note penned by Blaine, she resolves to keep
him alive at all costs. Vigilant, she returns each day, pushing her way
into his home--and losing her heart.

Can Blaine forget his
beloved and return the affections of the seamstress? Or once finished
with his work, will he cast Emma out of his life forever?

Review: I actually read The Muse before I read Impetuous. However, after reading Impetuous, I had to go back to reread Blaine’s story. He was a fantastic secondary character in Impetuous.

This was a sweet, warming short read. As with Impetuous, the author does a great job adding realistic qualities to her heroine, Emma. She has such a caring heart, a heart that led her to “save” the hero, Blaine. It was quite endearing to read how a love formed between these two characters. Ms. Grey has way of inserted the “awww” factor in her writing. You can’t help but feel all warm and fuzzy at the end of her stories.

Though, I have to say, there was one thing that stood far out in this novella for me. Lazarus. I’m completely intrigued by this secondary character. I can only hope the author is considering a happily ever after for him.

All in all, if you are looking for a short, sweet read, look no further.

The paraphrasing works for me. Super interview and best of luck with your novel. While you say you took a ten year hiatus, you didn't say why? Was it 'just' life, or was there something specific [if that's not too nosey.] Also, how long did it take you after that.

Part of the ten years off was "just" life. I had a job I loved so getting published didn't seem so important but part of it was the rejection letters I was receiving convinced me I had a lot of learning to do before I would get accepted for publication so I took classes, joined a local writing group, etc. After I decided I really wanted to be published and seriously pursued it, it took about a year.

One of the hardest things was writing every day which I still have a hard time doing. I do have a strict writing goal every week so if I can't write one day, it's okay as long as I've hit the page goal by the end of the week. One of the other hard things was sending out query letters after not having written anything for so long. I suffered from "what if they think it's crap" attacks the first few times.

Wow, a ten year hiatus...I bet it was so hard to come back. When life gets in the way and I can't write for close to a week, it's hard as heck to get back into it. Writing truly is something one should try to do on a daily basis.

Thank you Melissa for introducing Katherine to me. She is a new to me author and her books sound wonderful!

Hi Brenda, It was very hard to start again. I wrote and rewote the same chapter for about a month before I forced myself to move on because I was so worried about getting it "right." There was also a lot of second guessing myself in the first few weeks. Not to say there aren't days where I still think I've written crap, but now I tell myself that's what revisions are for. :o)

Great interview ladies! Beautiful cover, Katherine! Love that you said your height. Does anyone ever come up to you and ask you how tall you are? I get that a lot. lol I'm 5' 11" ;) *high fives to us tall gals* Congrats on your release! Wishing you much success! :D

I do get asked a lot how tall I am. I also get asked to get things off the top shelf by complete strangers at the grocery store quite a bit. The funny thing is my mom and all of my sisters (4 of them) are all 5'6" for shorter.

I'm glad you enjoyed the interview. Thank you for the good wishes and thanks for stopping in. :o)